BC Athletics Bulletin

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ISSUE #47b-2005 "Mini edition"
Thursday, December 22, 2005

Highlights from this issue:

Call for Bids - BC Cross Country Championships 2006/2007
Jack Fisher 1923 – 2005
Call for Bids - 2006 Canadian Senior Track & Field Championships
Head Coach Position - Kamloops T&F Club & PacificSport Interior Athletics Centre
Athletics Canada Announces 2005 Award Winners
Officials News & Updates

From the BCA office

The Board of Directors and Staff at BC Athletics send Holiday Greetings and wish you All the Very Best in the New Year.

The BC Athletics office will be closed as of 5:00pm - Thursday, December 22nd and will open again on Tuesday, January 3, 2006.

Call for Bids - BC Cross Country Championships 2006/2007:

Interested BC Athletics affiliated clubs should forward a letter of intent to the BC Athletics office by Friday, January 13, 2006 - close of business. Please address the letter to:

BC Cross Country Championship Bids
Jerry Tighe
Technical Manager Road Running & Cross Country Running
#206 - 1367 W. Broadway
Vancouver BC V6H 4A9
Fax: (604) 737-3171
Email: jerrytighe@bcathletics.org

Jack Fisher 1923 – 2005:

Fisher, Jack, of North Saanich, passed away peacefully on December 19, 2005, surrounded by family, after a long illness. Jack was born on September 29, 1923 in St. Albans, England. He was predeceased by his first wife, Mary (McNeil) in 1974, and survived by his wife of twenty-nine years, Irmgard Anna (Gabel), his children, Iain ( Jennifer) and Alyson (Don McLellan), his grandchildren, Iain, Rod, Ann, Neil and Angus and his step sons, Vincent Gabel and Heinrich (Rick) Gabel, to whom he has been a very good friend. Jack joined the Royal Navy in 1942 and trained on HMS Victory, then served in the Mediterranean under Lord Mountbatten. Jack met his first wife, Mary, while both were on active duty in Italy, later marrying in England and moving to Scotland where his children were born. In 1957 Jack and family emigrated to Canada where Jack worked as a Life Underwriter until his retirement in 1977. Jack also found time to be very active in Track and Field, being involved as an official and administrator while his son Iain competed. Jack and his supportive extended family of the McNeils and Davidsons dedicated many long hours to the organization of hundreds of cross country runs, track meets and the Vancouver Relays in the 1960’s & 70’s. One of Jack’s proudest achievements was being a starter at the Athletics venue during the Montreal Olympics. His many years of volunteering were rewarded through the honour of being inducted into the BC Athletics Track & Field Hall of Fame. After his marriage to Irmgard and retirement from business he settled on Vancouver Island and returned to his roots as a gardener. Jack spent many hours growing far too many tomatoes, feeding the very hungry birds and taking time to enjoy many a glass of wine. Jack and his family spent many special occasions enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and fine food at the Deep Cove Chalet. For all those people whose lives were touched by this very special gentleman, may you ever remember his clear command ~ "On your marks"

There will be a private family service. In lieu of flowers you may wish to make a donation in Jack’s name to your favourite charity.

Call for Bids - 2006 Canadian Senior Track & Field Championships

Due to withdrawal of Athletics Manitoba as hosts for this Championship, Athletics Canada is calling for bids to host. Please see the following link for all details.
www.athleticscanada.com/article.asp?id=7913

Kamloops Track and Field Club and the PacificSport Interior Athletics Centre – Kamloops Club and Centre Head Coach Position

The Kamloops Track and Field Club (KTFC) in partnership with BC Athletics and the PacificSport Interior Centre - Kamloops, invites applications for the position of full time Head Coach. The successful applicant will oversee all the coaching; competition; and associated education and training programs offered by the KTFC (up to and including high performance athletes) and for the implementation of the Regional Athletics Centre Sport Plan.

KTFC has a large membership from Junior Development to Senior Competitive athletes, as well as the support of approximately 50 registered officials. The Club, with the volunteer base in Kamloops and support from the City of Kamloops has been the proud host of many track and field meets including several BCJD Championships, the Canada Summer Games and the WAVA - North American Masters T&F Championships and will host the BC Summer Games in July of 2006. We are looking forward to moving into our newly built outdoor and indoor facilities in the spring and fall of 2006, respectively. The new facilities can be viewed at www.city.kamloops.bc.ca/tournamentcapital/index.shtml.

Notably, our club was the home of elite athletes Shane Niemi, Bruno Mazzota and Gary Reed. Currently, Canadian Shot Put thrower Dylan Armstrong has been joined by throws athletes from across BC, Alberta, California and Washington State. These high performance throwers are being coached by Mr. Anatoly Bondarchuk, former Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in the hammer. The remaining athletes in the Club are coached by a group of dedicated part-time coaches.

Responsibilities:

Working cooperatively with athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers the responsibilities include:

Qualifications and Experience:

This is a full time position located in Kamloops and will require some travelling. The salary is dependent upon training and experience. The position also provides benefits and travel support. The projected starting time is February/March, 2006.

The KTFC is an equal opportunity employer and invites applications from all interested and qualified individuals. The successful applicant will be subject to a criminal record check.

Applications will be reviewed commencing Monday, January 16th, 2006 and may continue until the position is filled. Applications should include a covering letter, a resume and the names, phone numbers and email addresses of at least 3 professional references.

Mail or email applications to:
Ron Smith, President, Kamloops Track and Field Club,
1798 Hillside Drive,
Kamloops, BC
V2C 5N3
Phone (w) (250) 371-5544; (h) (250) 374-2483
Email: ronsmith@tru.ca

Athletics Canada Announces 2005 Award Winners

(OTTAWA) – Athletics Canada announced today its 2005 award winners. Tyler Christopher of Edmonton is the recipient of the Jack W. Davies trophy as the outstanding overall athlete as well as the Phil A. Edwards Memorial trophy as the top athlete in track events. Christopher took home the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Mark Boswell from Toronto is the winner of the Cal D. Bricker Memorial trophy as Athletics Canada’s top athlete in jump events (long jump, triple jump and high jump) and the winner of the F.N.A Rowell award as the top athlete in field events (jumping, vaulting or throwing). Boswell finished in second place at the Canadian Championships and in fourth place at the World Championships. Boswell previously won these awards in both 2002 and 2003.

Jason Tunks of London, ON has been named the recipient of the Eric E. Coy trophy as the top athlete in throwing events (shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw) for the fourth straight year. Tunks won the gold in the discus throw at the Canadian Championships and finished eighth at the World Championships. Tunks also won this award in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Alan Bergman from Cobble Hill, BC has been awarded the Fred Begley trophy as the top marathon or off-track race walking athlete. Bergman won the marathon gold medal in the open wheelchair division at the European Open Paralympic Championships. Bergman also had success in other world class marathons, finishing first at the Las Vegas Marathon, second at the Vancouver Marathon, third at the Columbus Marathon, fourth at the Boston Marathon and fifth at the Los Angeles Marathon.

Jessica Zelinka of Calgary is the recipient of the Fred Tees trophy as the top Canadian Track and Field athlete enrolled in a Canadian University. Zelinka won gold at the Canadian Championships in the Heptathlon and finished eleventh at the World Championships. Zelinka is now a two-time winner of this award.

Mike Woods of Ottawa is the recipient of Athletics Canada’s Junior Athlete of the Year trophy (19 and under). Woods won two gold medals at the Canadian Junior Championships, finishing first in both the 1500 and 5000 metre races. Woods also won gold in the 1500 at the Pan Am Junior Championships, and set new Canadian junior records in the mile and 3000 metres.

Elizabeth Gleadle of Burnaby, BC and Justin Marpole-Bird from Vancouver are recipients of the Myrtle Cook trophy as the top youth (17 and under) athletes. Gleadle took the gold in the javelin at the Royal Canadian Legion National Track and Field Championships and finished fifth at the World Youth Championships in Marrakech, Morocco. Marpole-Bird won gold in the 1500 metres at the Royal Canadians and finished eighth at the World Youths.

The award winners will be honoured at a ceremony coinciding with Athletics Canada’s Annual General Meeting in May 2006.

For more information on these awards and what they represent, please visit Athletics Canada’s official website: www.athletics.ca/article.asp?id=745

As the national sport governing body for track and field, cross country running and road running, Athletics Canada’s mission is to provide leadership, development and competition that ensures world-level performance in athletics. Athletics Canada is a not- for-profit, charitable organization operating under a board of directors elected by provincial / territorial members.

BC Athletics Officials 2005 Annual General Meeting - held in Abbotsford, Sunday, November 20.

We are (again) grateful for the support of our major sponsors, Achilles International Track and Field Society, who covered the costs of our meeting, and Sprott Shaw Community College, for a substantial donation for uniform items.

A highlight for us was discussion of some of the new language in the 2006-2007 IAAF Handbook. Many of the changes are "minor", and beneficial, but will go unnoticed by the general run of athletes and coaches. However, there are a few which deserve attention outside of the officials' circle.

More colour....yellow flags, red flags, yellow paddles, and now...green cards? Yes, Starters will now have three cards:

yellow...to warn all athletes that they are charged with a false start red.....to advise the athlete that causes a 2nd false start that he/she is disqualified green....to advise all athletes after a recall that no one will be charged.

"In all events athletes must wear clothing which is clean, and designed and worn so as not to be objectionable. The clothing must be made of a material which is non-transparent even if wet. Athletes must not wear clothing which could impede the view of the Judges. Athletes’ vests should have the same colour on the front and back." [bold/italics added]. A reasonable interpretation of this rule would be that the dominant color on the front of the vest should be continued on the back.

Although it is unlikely that an athlete would be disqualified from a local or provincial meet due to the colour of their uniform, national or international events will be more stringent about this rule. Affected clubs should take this rule into consideration when buying new uniforms, and athletes (along with their coaches) should ensure their uniform is compliant before attending a national or international competition.

But less music........tougher restrictions on personal electronics in the stadium.

Rule 144.2 (Assistance to Athletes) now makes it verboten to possess (or use) video or cassette recorders, radios, CD players etc. Athletes are best advised to zip them up before reaching the Athlete Control Centre, or reporting to the venue.

And less confusion for "Simultaneous entries". This will be very important to Junior Development athletes who are trying to get through 6 events in one day. "Athletes who leave a high jump or pole vault to compete in another event will have to stay in touch. ...if an athlete is not present when all other competitors who are present have completed the the competition, the Referee shall deem that such athlete(s) has abandoned the competition, once the period for one further trial has elapsed." Of course, we have always wondered why an athlete has to disappear for 30 minutes to take part in an event which only requires 24 seconds to complete (just kidding, I know how important track events are!).

But a bit more confusion for horizontal jumps and throws officials. We will not only be changing competition order after round three (saving the best for last), but also after round 5. This will be compulsory for International class (IAAF sanctioned) meets, but optional for all the others. We will probably "opt out" for age class meets.

Junior sprint hurdlers probably have noticed that they will no longer have to "jump up" for International class meets. The IAAF height for 110mH will be 0.995m.

And it's now official...you too can have a 3 metre discus throw. "It will not be considered a failure if the discus or any part of the hammer strikes the cage after release provided that no other rule is infringed." I knew that!

Thanks to Alice Kubek, Peter Fejfar, Ken Porter and Mark Lillicrap for submissions.

Officials are invited to link over to the enriched, improved and expanded "Officials Section", for some new features.

More Officials News & Updates:

Congratulations to the following officials who have successfully completed the requirements for upgrading in their Officiating Grade:

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

International Technical Official (ITO) - While not an upgrading, Congratulations to Alice Kubek who has just been reappointed as one of Canada's two IAAF International Technical Officials (the other one is Jane Edstrom of Winnipeg). This requires passing both a very challenging written and oral exam. This is a great accomplishment. This is Alice's second term as an ITO, following the lead of former ITO’s, Ken Porter, Sr of Victoria and Leroy Washburn of New Brunswick. Alice has been an official since the late 1960’s committing a great deal of effort, energy and time to the sport of Athletics. In 2004 Alice was also named to the Athletics Canada Officials Wall of Honour. Well done Alice!!!!